Schiff

Adam Schiff is a Democratic Party senator from California, elected to the Senate in November 2024. He previously served in the House for over two decades, representing Los Angeles-area districts, and chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee during the Trump impeachment proceedings of 2019 and 2021. His reputation rests on national security oversight and sustained scrutiny of executive power.

Schiff has been active in congressional pushback against the Iran conflict, joining five other senators, including Cory Booker and Tim Kaine, to force a War Powers Resolution vote on 18 March 2026, requiring congressional authorisation for continued hostilities. Senate Republicans blocked the measure. Democrats threatened daily repeat votes unless hearings with senior cabinet officials are scheduled. The House had already defeated a similar measure 219-212.

The episode reveals a structural tension: congressional Democrats can force votes but lack the numbers to prevail, while the executive presses on without formal authorisation. For Schiff, the Iran conflict is also a test of the Senate role he only recently assumed, as he navigates whether sustained procedural pressure can wring concessions from a Republican-controlled chamber disinclined to constrain presidential war-making.